The invention relates to a method for placing a body of shape memory metal within a tubing.
It is known from German patent specification 3,544,128 to provide a pipe connection by means of a sleeve of a shape memory metal which is stretched before installation while it is kept at a low temperature and which is subsequently heated so as to raise its temperature to above the austenitic/martensitic temperature transition range thereby causing the sleeve to shrink around the pipeline ends which are to be interconnected.
In many situations, however, the pipe exterior may be inaccessible, for example if the pipe forms part of a subsurface tubular string used for the production of hydrocarbons from a well. Then there is a need to transport a body of shape memory metal, which may be needed for tubular string repair such as necessitated for corrosion repair, sand exclusion or other operations, through the tubular string and then place it at any desired location in said string.